As in many other sectors jobs in the freelance writing arena have become few and far between in this recessionary phase. A quick search online reveals that while jobs are drying up there are a number of low paying writing jobs still available. It is not uncommon to find people posting job offers for as little as one dollar for a 500-600 word article! The dilemma that most freelance writers like you and me face then is that should we consider lowering our rates this recession?
Let us look at different facets of the issue…………
Working for lower rates is an option most newbie freelancers can consider mainly because if you are a new to freelance writing then that is the only way you could get your foot in the door. Publishers are unlikely to offer new entrants a good amount when there is a pool of experienced writers already available. So those of you who have chosen this time to enter the freelance writing market thist is a compromise that you could have to make.
If you want to remain in the freelance writing mainstream irrespective of what you get paid then lowering your rates is definitely an option. But then again what you need to look at is the amount of time and effort that you are going to put in to your work. If the remuneration is far less than your effort then the possibility of you becoming disillusioned with what you are doing is very much there. What you can do is opt for low paying rewriting jobs where you don’t need to research and do much of actual writing. Simply re-packaging the article for a lower rate is less damaging for your self-esteem than researching and writing for peanuts.
Established writers too may have to work for lower rates and since freelance writing really isn’t for the faint-hearted. I’m sure you are already prepared for the bumpy ride during such times. Yes, working for less pay may be on the cards but there are ways of generating residual incomes that established writers can adopt. Writing “how to articles” has been all the rage for sometime now and while you could go with this trend; blog writing and search engine optimization articles are some other ways in which you can earn more and bridge the gap between the low paying jobs that you may have to take up during the slowdown. You could also dig out that old manuscript that has been gathering dust for awhile and explore the possibility of publishing it as an e-book, another quick way of bringing home some additional income.
If you don’t want to lower your rates for fear of getting stuck at the lower end of the market another way of ensuring that you get your due is differential pricing. You could decide on amounts based on the turn around time in which you deliver your work and make sure that you get the amount that you want. For delivering an article of a certain length within 24 hours, 48 hours, 60 hours and so on you could ask for varying rates with the earliest delivery being the most expensive. This is one way you could get good returns for high efficiency and quick results while giving clients the opportunity to pay less for work delivered within a bigger time frame.
Settling for less than what we expect is not something that all of us look forward to but considering the tough times that are upon us that is a compromise full time writers may have to make. If you moonlight as a freelance writer and have a well paying job to take care of your needs then lowering your charges is entirely a matter of personal choice. Whatever you choose to do remember that it’s important that you enjoy your work; ultimately as in all walks of life its quality that survives and the rest doesn’t really matter. So while you may have to work for less now it may just be your way of tiding over the economic slowdown and things could be looking up soon.
- Mariam Noronha
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